Glaucoma, is a common name for a variety of disorders in which the pressure of the intraocular fluid in the eye is elevated which results eventually in the destruction of the optic nerve. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world.
Treatment of glaucoma is either by means of medication or surgery. The simplest form of surgery involves the opening of a passage in the cornea or sclera which allows drainage of humoral fluid from the eye to the exterior, e.g. into the sub-conjunctival space. More advanced surgical procedures involves draining of humoral fluid from the eye by means of a device which provides a controlled passage for outflow of humoral fluid from the intraocular space. Devices for draining humoral fluid from the eye and means for their use have been described in Soviet Patents 1671295 and 1718913 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,457,757 and 4,968,296.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a relatively small implantable device useful for removal of excess humoral fluid to the extraocular space, which is relatively small and provides relatively little inconvenience to the patient.